Artist Kaytranada has announced that a planned collaboration with Gorillaz, the UK's biggest virtual band, has fallen through. The Canadian music producer, who released his debut album ‘99.9%’ earlier this year, has worked with the likes of Anderson .Paak, The Internet and Craig David in the past year.
Taking to his Twitter for a fan Q&A last night (November 28), the 24-year-old told fans in a now-deleted tweet that an anticipated collaboration with Damon Albarn’s cartoon creations didn’t come to fruition (via The Fader). “I was supposed to, they hit me up one time and I didn’t hear back from them again,” he replied to a fan who asked him if he might feature on any new Gorillaz material.
The band are rumoured to currently be making their fifth studio album.
Kaytranada did confirm that a new song with Chance The Rapper was in the works, however – but revealed that the Chicago rapper still needs to send him vocals for their as-yet-unfinished track ‘They Say’.
We've got great news for all Gorillaz fans. Damon Albarn has just revealed in a recent interview with The Sydney Morning Herald that his animated band Gorillaz will make a new album i 2016.
In the interview, he mentioned that Gorillazis already in the process of "reactivating" for a potential 2016 album. This means that fans will be hearing brand new Gorillaz songs as early as next year, and possibly enjoy a full Gorillaz world tour in 2016 after their album release.
If Gorillaz produces a new LP, it would be the band’s fifth album, and first since 2011’s ipad-recorded The Fall.
But what about his other band Blur? Of this, Damon Albarn said: “I would imagine there’s some kind of future,” he said in the interview, “but at the moment there’s no time for the future – only the present. Who knows? I’m reluctant to say anything, because if I do, it just gets taken out of context and then I’m accused of being a wind-up.”
The August 2013 edition of Vanity Fair magazine features an exclusive interview and photo-shoot with Damon Albarn and Jamie Hewlett, both of whom talked about the relaunch of their opera 'Monkey Journey To The West' in Lincoln Centre, New York this July.
(Vanity Fair - Aug. 2013 (Click to enlarge. Scan by grahampls)
The production, created by Damon Albarn and his Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett, originally premiered at the Manchester International Festival in 2007. The new set of productions will be Monkey: Journey To The West's New York debut. The duo had much to say about the opera and music, as quoted from Vanity Fair: “Like all that has folk resonance, something from its past has carried forward and been delivered in a new way,” says Albarn, who composed the score, which sets traditional Chinese instruments against a contemporary electronic backdrop. “The first song inspired my daughter to start learning Mandarin.” Albarn, who is finishing a solo record, co-produced R&B singer Bobby Womack’s 2012 comeback album, The Bravest Man in the Universe, and headlined the Coachella music festival, in Indio, California, in April with Blur, his own award-winning band.
"We have a kind of monkey madness"
Jamie Hewlett on his relationship with Damon Albarn
Hewlett, who co-created the comic book Tank Girl in 1988 and won Britain’s Designer of the Year award in 2006 for his work on Gorillaz, created both Monkey’s animation and the fantastical costumes. “Suddenly you realize,” he recalls, “that all these costumes you designed have to be worn by somebody who has to leap 10 feet in the air, stand on somebody’s shoulders while he is singing, and do kung fu.”
Jamie has been busy promoting the opera for various media outlets, including conducting live Q&As on Monkey Journey To The West's official Facebook page. He was also recently interviewed by Inside Hook and Flavorwire. Monkey: Journey to the West is showing at Lincoln Center through Sunday, July 28. Click here for the full timetable. Click HERE to visit their Facebook page and see the latest updates, pictures and rehearsal snapshots from the opera. It's monkey business all the way for the duo - but one question that lingers is when will Damon monkey-around and make a new Gorillaz album? Will Damon change his mind yet again? Visit THIS pageto see more fantastic images of Jamie Hewlett.
Yet another new Damon Albarn side-project has been revealed, and this time it's for a good cause. The Blur frontman recruited American rock band Yeah Yeah Yeah's Nick Zinner, alternative band Franz Ferdinand's Alex Kapranos and Red Hot Chilli Pepper's Flea for his new collaboration "Fresh Touch".
The four musicians will collaborate and release a one-off single named "Latest Style" together to raise money for Oxfam's Syria campaign. The renowned NGO is appealing to the public for donations to support 650,000 impoverished political refugees who have fled their country due to the violence and social unrest apparent in the last few months.
Damon's new project - working with Alex Kapranos for a new single titled "Latest Style"
The track will be released on 13th July 2013 under the guise Fresh Touch. It will be put on sale exclusively at the Independent Label Market, a fair taking place in London's Old Spitalfields Market next weekend. The fair, held twice a year, will showcase independent record labels from all around the UK. Flea, the Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist had previously worked with Damon on last year's Rocket Juice and the Moon album.
Apart from Damon Albarn's new track, there will be nine more charity singles available for sale including a re-worked version of Tim Burgess's The Doors Of Then.
For now, fans can only speculate on whether Damon will provide vocals, only music, backing vocals to the track, and whether he will choose to follow a more 'Gorillaz' approach for his new sound. "Latest Style" marks Damon's first official release since Gorillaz co-founder Jamie Hewlett confirmed last month that both Blur and Gorillaz will be recording new albums for the future.
To the West it goes - Damon Albarn's opera "Monkey: Journey To The West" is journeying truly to the 'west' of the world map. Fans in USA will be able to witness the show because the opera will be playing in this year’s Lincoln Center Festival.
The production, created by Damon Albarn and his Gorillaz partner Jamie Hewlett, originally premiered at the Manchester International Festival in 2007. The new set of productions will be Monkey: Journey To The West's New York debut. It will be staged 27 times at the David H. Koch Theater, from July 6 to 28.
“It sold more tickets than any other single event in the 36-year history of Spoleto,” said Nigel Redden, director of the Lincoln Center Festival, “But it’s never been in New York and to some extent, many artists feel their work has not premiered in the U.S. until it has premiered in New York.”
Monkey: Journey to the West is a tale about a monk's perilous, adventurous and self-discovering journey from China to India while he searches for sacred Buddhist scripts. The opera is headed by legendary director Chen Shi-Zheng and features original music from Damon Albarn. It combines theater with illustration (by Jamie Hewlett), Chinese martial arts, acrobatics and dance. An official album of the soundtrack was released in 2008.
"A high-octane, 90-minute rock 'n' roll circus…breathtaking."
—Guardian
"A life-enhancing triumph."
—Evening Standard (U.K.) / "The event of the year."
—Time Out London
Even though Damon Albarn hasn't revealed any new plans for Gorillaz material, it seems that his previously rocky relationship with Jamie Hewlett has repaired, replenished and rejuvenated. After all they will be working closely together for the new set of shows in America.
Perhaps Damon Albarn will decide to release new Gorillaz material, if all goes well with Jamie and the opera. A good plan after the Blur shows of 2013?
Monkey:
Journey To The West (Lincoln Centre Festival 2013)
GORILLAZ CELEBRATE A DECADE WITH NEW SINGLES COLLECTION
The Singles Collection: 2001-2011 the career-spanning best of from Gorillaz, will be released on November 28th 2011 by Parlophone Records.
A 15-track collection of the band’s singles, videos and remixes, The Singles Collection: 2001-2011 celebrates 10 years of audio visual innovation and three studio albums from the most successful virtual band in the world ever. The Singles Collection will be released as a standard CD, CD and DVD and 140 gram vinyl. A special edition 7” box set will also be made available.
Formed in 1998, the band released their revolutionary debut album Gorillaz in 2001. The launch had many industry detractors who saw the idea of an animated pop group as merely folly and gimmick – but the album went on to sell 6 million copies around the world. The hugely successful campaign took its toll on Gorillaz. As guitar-playing wunderkind Noodle noted sadly “Every great band is destroyed by their success. Cartoon bands are no exception". Despite this, she wrestled the band back together for the release of second album Demon Days in 2005 and a run of groundbreaking animated live shows at Manchester International Festival and Harlem’s Apollo Theater. In early 2010 Gorillaz resurfaced again – this time from an island in the South Pacific with the album Plastic Beach. The lead single Stylo featured a bad ass Bruce Willis chasing down our intrepid Gorillaz who made a clean escape and headed out on their first World Tour with a crack team of musicians including Clash greats Paul Simonon and Mick Jones.
In ten years, Gorillaz didn’t just top charts around the world, hit number 1 in more than a dozen countries and garner sales in excess of 13 million, they received influential awards and recognition that represented the band’s significance beyond their music. Alongside a Grammy and an Ivor Novello, Gorillaz were nominated for four CAD awards and took home the coveted Webby Award for Artist of The Year 2006, plus the Jim Henson Award for Creativity. In 2006 Jamie Hewlett was awarded Designer of the Year for his work on Gorillaz; four years later the band graced the cover of tech bible Wired Magazine.
Always open to an interesting collaboration, Gorillaz have worked with numerous artists including Dangermouse, Ibrahim Ferrer, Del the Funkee Homosapien, De La Soul, Kano, Bobby Womack, Ike Turner, Lou Reed, Mark E Smith, Bootie Brown, Tina Weymouth, Bashy, Little Dragon, Hypnotic Brass Ensemble, Snoop Dogg, Dan The Automator, Mos Def, D12, Phi Life Cypher, MF Doom, Rosie Wilson, Shaun Ryder and Neneh Cherry.
Gorillaz are Murdoc Niccals, Noodle, 2D and Russel Hobbs.
1. Tomorrow Comes Today
2. Clint Eastwood
3. 19-2000
4. Rock The House
5. Feel Good Inc
6. DARE
7. Dirty Harry
8. Kids With Guns
9. El Manana
10. Stylo
11. Superfast Jellyfish
12. On Melancholy Hill
13. Doncamatic
14. Clint Eastwood (Ed Case & Sweetie Irie Refix)
15. 19-2000 (Soulchild Remix)
From Gorillaz Unofficial:
It will be available on CD, CD+DVD and double vinyl formats, and a 7" box set will also be released with the same 15 tracks spread over 8 7" vinyls all in a clamshell box. The standard 15-track tracklisting - used for the CD (both versions) and both the vinyl formats - is entirely previously released material. The DVD contents are unknown at this time.
For the cover, see here on Amazon. For the full tracklisting and the full official press release, click 'Read More' below.
More features including a slightly interactive version of the album cover, over on www.gorillaz.com.
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